Megawati faction denies inciting riots

Megawati faction denies inciting riots

JAKARTA (JP): Loyalists of the Indonesian Democratic Party's
ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri denied responsibility for
violence that has marred the election campaign.

Haryanto Taslam, a Megawati loyalist, said the disturbances
were "unavoidable excesses" of the government-recognized
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) camp's decision to campaign
regardless of the party still having leadership problems.

"All PDI supporters have been ordered not to take part in the
election campaign because the party is not ready to do so. Our
supporters have accepted (Megawati's) order to stay away from
rallies," said Haryanto, deputy secretary-general of Megawati's
PDI camp.

Thousands of Megawati supporters across Java removed the
party's flags and placards and disrupted a PDI rally in Surabaya,
East Java, on Monday, forcing the PDI's Surabaya branch to cancel
rallies for the rest of the campaign period.

Haryanto said the actions initiated by the Megawati loyalists
were "spontaneous" and that she had not ordered them to disrupt
the campaign.

"They (Megawati supporters) were provoked by some people who
had failed to heed the aspirations of the grass roots," Haryanto
said.

"Instead of us, it is them (supporters of the government-back
PDI leadership under Soerjadi) who should be held responsible for
the scuffles," he added.

The government accepted Soerjadi as the PDI chairman in place
of Megawati following a breakaway congress in June last year.
Megawati has filed dozens of lawsuits against both Soerjadi and
the government, accusing both of illegally ousting her.

Megawati, elected by a popular vote in 1993, insists she is
the legitimate PDI chief.

Haryanto said the Soerjadi camp had been warned of possible
riots if they insisted on standing in the general election before
the internal conflicts were resolved.

He said Megawati would announce another directive on the
general election prior to the May 29 polling day.

"We have decided to shun the election campaign, but it doesn't
mean we will boycott the election," he said.

Soerjadi has accused Megawati supporters of sabotaging the
party's election campaign.

"Now we leave it up to the security authorities, because we do
not have expertise in such a matter," Soerjadi said while
attending a rally in Medan, North Sumatra, yesterday.

He suggested that the PDI not organize rallies unless there
was guaranteed security. "It will be a waste of time and money if
a planned rally fails to take place," he said.

Soerjadi had said earlier that the party would not rely on the
campaign as a means to win votes.

However, he denied that incidents in a number of towns in Java
would prevent him from making trips across the populated island
during the campaign period.

"I have planned to visit the Central Java town of Pati and the
East Java town of either Jember or Tulungagung," he said.

In Jakarta, another 14 Megawati supporters were arrested for
removing PDI flags in Mampang, South Jakarta, yesterday morning,
lawyer of Megawati loyalists, Pantas Nainggolan, said.

Pantas said about 100 people were removing the flags.

Eight Megawati supporters were apprehended by city police for
the same offense Monday.

Leader of PDI's pro-Megawati camp, Roy Janis, said he had not
ordered the removal of the flags, but added that he could not
prevent supporters from doing so.

"Our leader's directive, which asks PDI activists not to take
part in the election campaign, has two consequences. We are
obliged either to clear all PDI symbols or to ignore them," he
said. (05/amd)